Bat for LashesThu 19 Nov – Charlotte Hatherley, PHANTOGRAM, James Owen Fender
I've noticed that I often seem to start these reviews by being slightly rude to the support acts and this one will be no different. It's not deliberate, it's just that they always seem to do something a little odd that catches my eye.
First up was PHANTOGRAM, a psychedelic electronica duo from New York. The synth was played by Sarah, who also provided the requisite breathe-y vocals that seem to be required for most electronica and Joshua was on guitar and supplied additional vocals too. Their first song started much as you'd expect with them setting up their various loops and beats. After the first batch of vocals though, Sarah seemingly started fitting on the stage, serious full-body jerk scary fitting. Then she suddenly stopped, leaned into the mic, breathed a few words and then off she went again. It took me several seconds to realise the jerks were happening two to the beat and in fact this was her dancing. Seriously, I've never seen anything quite like it and I'm including all of the various student parties and discos I've been to. To add to the mood, they'd start a strobe going whenever they reached an extended musical section so you'd get discrete sections of vocals followed by jerking, more vocals, jerking, vocals, some extended jerking with strobe, then it'd all stop as the vocals kick in again. Anyway, moving on to the music, it was good stuff once you collected yourself and closed your dropped jaw. There were plenty of tracks that had the whole crowd nodding their heads and that's something of an achievement for an early support band.
Next up were local lads James Owen Fender and the Pinheads. I can't really give a proper review as their bass and amp broke down fairly early on, with the Pinheads leaving the stage to allow James to fill their time with an impromptu acoustic set. He took requests from the audience which included "Sexual Healing" and "Time After Time", I was fairly impressed that he seemed word perfect on them. I did say that they were locals and I have to add that his version of "Sexual Healing" was the most northern I can remember hearing. It wasn't quite "Eee by 'eck you give me sexual healing, luv," but it wasn't too far from it. It was a brave and entertaining performance and the crowd loved him for it.
Oh, Charlotte... Back in your Ash days, you'd sell out whole arenas. A couple of months ago, I saw her playing guitar for Bat for Lashes in front of 2000 people at the Academy. This gig had about a hundred or so people, it must feel like such a comedown. Don't get me wrong, the Brudenell is probably my favourite venue, it has a great atmosphere and there is a real sense of intimacy as you are so close to the performers. I'm just surprised that an artist of Charlotte's ability isn't selling the place out ten times over. That said, whilst I quite liked the recent solo tracks I'd heard before coming to the gig, I have to say there was nothing particularly special about them. Given I'd always thought of Charlotte as something of a guitar hero, they were almost a slight letdown. The gig was something else though, she got things going with the power chord of every teenager's dreams and never let up. How many artists have you seen retune their guitars with the sustain and reverb pedals active? Or putting 30 seconds of modulated feedback into a three minute pop song? It was a great performance, I just can't help wishing she'd put the same energy into her recorded tracks.
I've noticed that I often seem to start these reviews by being slightly rude to the support acts and this one will be no different. It's not deliberate, it's just that they always seem to do something a little odd that catches my eye.
First up was PHANTOGRAM, a psychedelic electronica duo from New York. The synth was played by Sarah, who also provided the requisite breathe-y vocals that seem to be required for most electronica and Joshua was on guitar and supplied additional vocals too. Their first song started much as you'd expect with them setting up their various loops and beats. After the first batch of vocals though, Sarah seemingly started fitting on the stage, serious full-body jerk scary fitting. Then she suddenly stopped, leaned into the mic, breathed a few words and then off she went again. It took me several seconds to realise the jerks were happening two to the beat and in fact this was her dancing. Seriously, I've never seen anything quite like it and I'm including all of the various student parties and discos I've been to. To add to the mood, they'd start a strobe going whenever they reached an extended musical section so you'd get discrete sections of vocals followed by jerking, more vocals, jerking, vocals, some extended jerking with strobe, then it'd all stop as the vocals kick in again. Anyway, moving on to the music, it was good stuff once you collected yourself and closed your dropped jaw. There were plenty of tracks that had the whole crowd nodding their heads and that's something of an achievement for an early support band.
Next up were local lads James Owen Fender and the Pinheads. I can't really give a proper review as their bass and amp broke down fairly early on, with the Pinheads leaving the stage to allow James to fill their time with an impromptu acoustic set. He took requests from the audience which included "Sexual Healing" and "Time After Time", I was fairly impressed that he seemed word perfect on them. I did say that they were locals and I have to add that his version of "Sexual Healing" was the most northern I can remember hearing. It wasn't quite "Eee by 'eck you give me sexual healing, luv," but it wasn't too far from it. It was a brave and entertaining performance and the crowd loved him for it.
Oh, Charlotte... Back in your Ash days, you'd sell out whole arenas. A couple of months ago, I saw her playing guitar for Bat for Lashes in front of 2000 people at the Academy. This gig had about a hundred or so people, it must feel like such a comedown. Don't get me wrong, the Brudenell is probably my favourite venue, it has a great atmosphere and there is a real sense of intimacy as you are so close to the performers. I'm just surprised that an artist of Charlotte's ability isn't selling the place out ten times over. That said, whilst I quite liked the recent solo tracks I'd heard before coming to the gig, I have to say there was nothing particularly special about them. Given I'd always thought of Charlotte as something of a guitar hero, they were almost a slight letdown. The gig was something else though, she got things going with the power chord of every teenager's dreams and never let up. How many artists have you seen retune their guitars with the sustain and reverb pedals active? Or putting 30 seconds of modulated feedback into a three minute pop song? It was a great performance, I just can't help wishing she'd put the same energy into her recorded tracks.
